MUMBAI: On Thursday, the BMC announced that the city would not be subjected to any more water till July next year, signalling the end of the worst-ever water crisis faced by the city. Believe it or not, the city ended up consuming more water last year.

According to a reply furnished by the hydraulic department under the RTI Act, the water consumption shot up from 7.95 lakh ml in 2008-09 to 8.08 lakh ml in 2009-10.

A rise in consumption was recorded, even as the hydraulic department of the BMC imposed a 15% cut in overall supply from the reservoirs. With rains being deficient over the catchments last year, even bigger cuts were imposed on water supply for non-residential consumers. Water connections of bulk consumers- those who consume in excess of 2 lakh litre daily- were thwarted.

The RTI response was submitted to a query by social activist Simpreet Singh, who had sought details on the water consumption pattern in times of water cut. Hydraulic department engineers said that there could be several reasons behind the rise in consumption. One said that there has been an increase in the number of consumers who are being charged "telescopic" supply rates. In 2008, the BMC introduced a billing pattern where consumers are charged two, three, and four times the regular rate (Rs3.50 per kilo litre) for excess water consumption of up to 200, 250 and 300 lppd, respectively.

New water meters installed for the system might have revealed the actual consumption in a number of cases, which were earlier being charged on an average on account of faulty water meters. Another official said that a part of the rise could be attributed to an increase in the number of water connections. A senior department engineer reasoned that even as a considerable portion of the city suffered from acute water cuts, a section consumed water in excess of the limit (150 litre per person per day, or lppd), set as a standard norm/

The RTI further revealed that despite the water shortage, the department issued new water connections. Nearly 4889 new residential connections were issued during the period between April, 2009 and March, 2010. This would mean that on average 13 new connections were issued daily in times of the water crisis.

The number of residential water connections rose from 2.48 lakh in 2008-09 to 2.52 lakh in 2009-10, the RTI reply revealed. Interestingly, the number of non-residential water connections decreased from 44533 to 44373 during the corresponding period. Similarly, even as the BMC decreased the supply, the water bill generated for April 2009 to March 2010 was Rs 14.2 crore crore more than the year before. The number of bills generated also rose to 1.31 lakh from 1.27 lakh, a 4% jump.

Singh questioned the need to grant new connections, when the BMC was already facing trouble in distributing water equally to the existing connections.